Event showcases China's rail expertise and AI innovation

China highlighted advances in high-speed rail and industrial artificial intelligence on Sunday, as the nation's major train manufacturer, CRRC Corporation Limited, marked a decade since its corporate restructuring.

At a brand culture event held at the CRRC Qingdao Sifang Company in Qingdao, Shandong province, the company unveiled "Zhuolun", a new AI large-model technology brand aimed at supporting digital transformation across the rail and equipment manufacturing sectors. The system integrates AI applications throughout the life cycle of railway equipment, including design, manufacturing, operation, maintenance and safety. Several products powered by the system are already in use.

The event also underscored China's progress in high-speed rail technology. The "Fuxing" series of trains, developed domestically, cover speeds from 160 kilometers an hour to 400 km/h, reflecting a shift from following international standards to achieving global leadership in rail equipment.

Chinese rail products have increasingly reached international markets. Signature trains, including those for the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed line in Indonesia and the China-Laos railway, are now exported to more than 116 countries and regions across six continents. These developments illustrate China's growing influence in both high-speed rail and industrial AI, while also highlighting the challenges of meeting global standards for technology, safety and operations.

The combination of rail expertise and AI innovation signals a broader trend in China's industrial sector, where digital intelligence is being integrated into heavy equipment production and international infrastructure projects.